Stradbally Hall – Case Study

Stradbally Hall is best known as the home of Ireland’s largest arts and music festival, Electric Picnic where a crowd of 50,000 people ensure the temperature rises. It was a very different story trying to generate heat in the winter to warm the 19th century house. The Cosby family switched to a HDG 200 kW wood chip boiler in 2015. Glas managed the entire project from design to commissioning including moving the boiler house from basement to a more accessible outbuilding. The installation and commissioning costs were part funded through the SEAI Better Energy Communities programme, co-ordinated by Glas partner, DaysE CLG – Donate as you save Energy.

“The move to biomass heating using primarily our own timber, chipped on site, was an economic decision. Heating an old house this size is a careful balance of budget and warmth. We win both ways, saving on fuel costs and increased comfort. The Glas team were great to deal with and are keeping their eye on things so that everything stays working
smoothly.”

While Stradbally Hall has sufficient timber for chipping for the baseline level of heating, a cold winter of heating the whole house requires a top up purchase of wood chip.